Collar



J. M. VAN HEUSEN.

COLLAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. 1919.

1,397,26 1 Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- I v H {I ll 4 u l I l i a 1 a I I I o I l I INVENTOR ILM ATTORNEYS 1. MLVAN HEUSEN.

COLLAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. l9l9.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR BY l W 7) ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES RATENT COLLAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

Original application filed August 1, 1917, Serial No. 183,829., Divided and. this application filed March 15, 1919.

T 0 (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. VAN HEUsnN, a citizen No. 101 Robinwood avenue, Jamaica- Plain, in the county of Suffolk, tate of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Collars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

T his invention relates to soft folding or turn down collars which are adapted to be worn without starching, and which will nevertheless have a sufficient degree of stif ness to make the collars self supporting without additional stiffening means ap plied thereto or with a minimumof added stiffening.

The common forms of soft folding collars, made up of individual layers of fabric sewed together, usually have the defect that they present a flimsy appearance; and in order to improve their appearance it has been common to embody stiffeners of various kinds between the layers of fabric or to apply detachable stiffeners to the collars when worn.

The invention forming the subject-matter of the present application, which is a division of my prior application Serial No. 183,829, filed August 1, 1917, upon which Patent No. 1,297,987 was granted March 18,

- 1919, has for one of its objects the avoidance of the flimsy appearance of the common soft folding collars, and the provision of a collar which will have an acceptable degree of stiffness, without undue rigidity, so that it will simulate in appearance the'comrnon laundried and starched collars. I

in constructing the collars of the present invention, either the neck band portion of the collar, or the folding or turn down portion of the collar, or both the neck bane and folding portions thereof, of multiply fabrlc or of appropriate single fly fabric of sufficient body of appropriate weave to impart stiffness to the collar as whole. So also, either the neck band portion, or the folding or urn down portion, of the collar, or both the neck band and turn down portions, when both these portions are made of the special fabric referred to, is provided with a thin integral edge extending from of the United States, resi ing at Serial No. 282,938.

the main body of the fabric to Which the other portion of the collar is secured. That is to say, either the neck band portion of band and folding portions, when made of.

the special weave fabric, are provided with such thin integral edges which are secured to each other at or near the fold line of the collar.

The thin edge of the special weave fabric may be, in certain cases, a straight edge, but 1t ismore advantageous to use a fabric with a curvilinear set and with the edge also of curvilinear contour, so that the curvilinear edge of the fabric will conform to the fold line of the collar and thereby contribute to the permanent curvilinear set of the collar.

The thin edge of the fabric is also advantageously a selvage edge, so that it will present a finished appearance without additional binding or without turning it in to form a hem; but the edge may nevertheless be made unfinished or be cut from a larger piece of fabric, and be finished in any appropriate manner.

The fabric which is provided with the integral thin edge, may be a single. ply fabric, of the nature canvas, but with an appropriate body and fineness of weave so that it will impart the desired degree of stiffness to the collar. in the preferred embodiments of the 'ivention, however, the fabric is a multiply fabric, such as a two or three or four ply fabric, and the integral.

edge is of the thickness of one or more plies of the fabrlc, but it Wlll be understood that the multiply fabric may be provided with an integral thin edge of various weaves and of different widths and thicknesses.

W here the neck band portion of the collar is of gral thin edge to which the folding or turn down portion of the collar is secured, the folding or turn down portion may likewise be made of multiply fabric, or it may be made of other fabrics such as are now commonly used in soft collar construction. The

folding or turn down portion of the collar the multiply fabric having the intemay thus be made to match the shirt with which it is to be worn; or fabrics of differ-- fabric with the thin integral edge projecting therefrom, these thin edges may be of appropriate width and thickness and so arranged that they will require merely stitching together without added binding or finish. That is to say, the thin edge may be a selvage edge, or may be folded in to form a hem, and the two edges may be stitched together along a line which will be adjacent to the fold line of the collar when finished; and the collar will then be finished except for" the button-holes and the binding along the outer edges of the multiply fabric. If tlieniultiply fabric is woven in strips of appropriate width and contour, these edges may not require any added binding except at the end tabs.

here the neck band of the collar is of the special weave fabric (either single ply or multiply) of sufficient body and appropriate weave, it will impart a sufficient degree of stiffness to the collar so that the necessity of additional stiffening means will be obviated or minimized, and so that the outer folding portion of the collar, will present a smooth and pleasing appearance.

When the outer folding portion of the collar is of this special weave fabric hav ing the integral edge projecting therefrom, and Where this fabric is of appropriate stiffne'ss, without objectionable rigidity, it will tend to maintain its smooth and pleasing ap pearance even without additional stiffening in the neck band of the collar; but such ad ditional stiffening may be provided, where this may be desirable, and the collar as a whole thereby stiffened.

lVhere both the folding and neck band portions of the collar are of the special Weave fabric, secured together in the manner above referred to, the collar will have an increased degree of stiffness due to the combined stiffening effects of the two fabrics.

Where the multiply fabric, and its integral projecting edge of decreased thickness are woven'of an appropriate curvilinear contour. and the neck band and folding portions of the collar secured together by means of the integral edge on one or both the neck band and turn down portions of the collar,

. space may be left between the neck band and folding portions of the collar for the free play of the necktie, it is advantageous to weave the fabric from which the outer or folding portion is cut somewhat longer than the fabric from which the neck band is cut.

The invention will be further described in connection with the embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows one form of completed collar embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the collar of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section of the collar of Fig. 2 showing the collar unfolded.

' Fig. 4 shows one of the ends of the collar of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows another construction of collar embodying the invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the collar of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the fold portion of the collar of Fig. 6, showing the collar unfolded.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating a further modified construction.

Fig. 9 is a section through the fold portion of the collar of Fig. 8, with the collar unfolded.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to that of Fig. 9 showing a still further modified construction. 7

Fig. 11 is another view similar to that of Figs. 9 and 10 showing a still further modified construction.

Fig. 12 shows part of a strip of curvilinear fabric having a thin integral edge at 115 both its edges and adapted for the cutting therefrom of both the neck band and turn down portion of collars embodying the invention. I

In certain of the figures of the drawings 120 certain of the parts have been somewhat exaggerated for purposes of illustration. The special weave fabric has also been illustrated as a multiply fabric. It will be understood however that the invention com- 125 prehends in its broader aspects the utilization of either multiply fabrics or appropriate single ply fabrics of proper weave provided with the thin integral edge; although the multiply fabrics are particularly ad- 130 vantageous for purposes of the present in vention.

The collar illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 is made up of the neck band portion 1 and the outer folding or turn down portion 2. The neck band portion is of two ply fabric and is provided with an integral edge 3 projecting therefrom, of single ply, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. This edge is moreover a selvage edge so that it requires no further binding or finish. The lower edge of the neck band, if finished, may be bound in any appropriate manner, as by the binding tape 7 which incloses the edge of the multiply fabric and is stitched thereto by a row of stitches 8. This binding is shown in Fig. 4t as extending also around the end tab 10.

The folding portion 2 ofthe collar is shown as made up of two separate pieces of fabric 4 and 5 which areturned in at their upper edges and stitched to the edge 3 by one or more rows of stitches 6, one of which is. shown. At the lower edge of the folding portion of the collar the two pieces of fabric are turned in and stitched at 9. The usual button-hole in the end tabs of the collar is indicated at 11.

With the construction and arrangement of Figs. 1 to 41, the turned edges of the fabrics 4; and 5 overlap the thin edge 3 its entire width so that there is no portion of increased flexibility between the ends of these two fabrics and the edge of the multiply fabric. The collar will accordingly fold so that the row or rows of stitches 6 will be on the inside of the collar out of sight, as will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2.

When the neck band of the collar shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is of an appropriate multiply fabric, this neck band will impart to the collar a sufficient degree of stiffness so that the collar will tend to maintain its upright position without wrinkling and without additional stiffening means, and so that the folding portion will be left free to assume a smooth natural positionv without added stifiening. Such additional stiffeningmeans may of course be added to either the neck band or the folding portion of the collar where special occasion may require them, or detachable stiffeners may be used, but the construction illustrated, where the fabric is of appropriate weave and stiffness, obviates or minimizes the necessity for such additional stiffeners.

The multiply fabric shown in Figs. 1 to a has a curvilinear edge and is of such contour that the edge of the fabric and the thin extension 3 thereof will conform with the fold line of the collar and thereby contribute to the curvilinear set of the collar, as will be clear from Fig. 1.

Where only the neck band portion of the collar is made of the multiply fabric, a wide range of fabrics can be utilized in selecting the color or design of the folding portion, so that this may match the shirt, or may be of other desirable color or design. When the collar is intended to be reversible, the two fabrics forming the folding portion of the collar may be of the same or different color or design.

It will be understood that the shape and size of the, collar of Fig. 1, or of the other modifications of the invention, may be varied in accordance with the demands of the trade and other considerations.

The collar of Figs. 5 to 7 has its outer or turn down portion 13 of three ply fabric provided with the thin edge 19 of single ply to which the fabrics of the neck band 12 are secured. The neck band is shown as made up of two pieces of single ply fabric folded in at both the upper and lower edges and stitched at their lower edge at 14 and at their upper edge at 20 and 21 to the edge 19 of the multiply fabric. The multiply fabric is shown as having its lower edge 15 turned and a tape 16 applied thereto and stitched at 17 and 18, one row of stitches passing through the turned edge as Well as through the tape and one row passing through only the tape and the multiply fabric beyond the turned edge.

The edge 19 of Fig. 7 is shown as a selvage edge so that it requires no other binding or finish. It is also shown of a width suflicient to extend over the fold line of the collar and to be secured to the upper edge of the neck band as shown. The neck hand does not overlap this edge 19 its full width so that there is left a space between the upper edge of the neck band and the upper edge of the multiply fabric where the single thickness of fabric forms a natural fold line of increased flexibility. When the multiply fabric is of curvilinear weave, corresponding to the curvilinear. set of the collar, the collar will fold along the edge of the multiply fabric which will thus contribute to the permanent curvilinear set of the collar as a. whole. The arrangement of Figs. 5 to 7 thus provides for the folding of the collar at the upper edge and enables the union between the neck band and folding portion to be arranged on the inside of the collan where the stitching will not'show.

In the collar of Figs- 8 and 9, both the neck band 22 and the folding portion 23 are made of three ply fabric so that the entire edge of the collar may be,'if desired, pro vided with the same kind of binding, for example, a binding tape 24. The upper edge of the neck band 22 has a thin edge 26 of two ply thickness, while the folding portion 28 has its thin edge 25 of single ply. The edge 25 is also shown somewhat wider than two ply edge and the beginning of the three ply fabric 23, this space forming a natural fold line of the collar. The arrangement is such that the collar will tend to fold at the proper place provided therefor, so that the double row of stitches 27 which secures'the two thin edges together will be on the inside of the collar and hidden from View when the collar is worn.

In the construction of Fig. 10 the three ply fabric 28 which forms the outer folding portion of the collar has a single ply edge 30 which is not a selvage edge, but which is of a width greater than is required for uniting the-neck band 29 thereto. The neck band 29 is shown as made up of two pieces of fabric similar to those of Figs. 1 to 4. The thin edge 30 is folded over and the edges of the fabrics 29 are laid thereon and a tape 31 then laid over the edges of these fabrics and stitched through the fabrics and the single ply edge 30 to form a binding and finish therefor. With this arrangement also the thin edge 30 may be arranged to form the natural fold line of the collar.

The construction of Fig. 11 likewise shows the multiply fabric 32 having a single ply edge 34 projecting therefrom. The two layers of fabric 83 which. form the neck band of the collar have their edges turned in and are arranged one on each side of the thin single ply edge 84 and stitched thereto. If the edge 34 is not finished it will nevertheless be hidden from view in the construction of this figure; and it will still serve as a fold line of increased flexibility.

The fabric of Fig. 12 is a curvilinear fabric wovenwith one edge longer than the other and with progressively greater length from the inner to the outer edge. The inner edge 38 will accordingly be concave or of lesser length than the outer edge 87. Both the edges 37 and 38 of the fabric 36 may be thin edges such as are described above for securing the collar together. If both edges Y are thus made thin, the neck band portion of the collar may be cut from the longer edge of the fabric and the outer folding portion from the shorter edge 38. If the neck band and folding portions thus cut are then secured together in the manner above described, the neck band will be shorter than its thin edge 37 and the folding portion will be longer than its thin edge 38, so that the folding portion will as a whole be longer than the neck band. With this construction also the collar will have a tendency to fold fabric, as well as the individual layersof single ply fabrics such as those of Fig. 1 may be made of different kinds of material, and that the diiferent plies of the same fabric may be made of different materials. A finer or more expensive material" such as silk may thus form the outer ply of the fabric and a less expensive material the other plies. It will be understood also that the multiply fabric may be of different colors or designs to match the shirts with which it is to be worn, or so that, where the collar is reversible, it may present the same or a different appearance on the different sides.

I claim:

1. A soft folding or turn down collar made up of a neck band portion and a folding or turn down portion, one of said portions being of appropriate thickness and weave to impart stiffness to the collar and having woven integral therewith a straight thin edge to which the other portion is'secured.

2. A soft folding or turn down collar made up of aneck band portion and a folding or turn down portion, one of said portions be-- ing of multiply fabric, the other of said portions being built up of single ply fabrics, said portion of multiply fabric having woven integral therewith a straight thin edge to which the other portion of the collar is secured.

at. A soft folding or turn down collar made up of a neck band portion and a folding or turn down portion, one of said portions being of multiply fabric, the other of said portions being built up of single ply fabrics, said portion of multiply fabric having woven integral therewith a thin edge to which the other portion of the collar is secured.

5. A soft folding or turn down collar made up of a neck band portion and an outer folding or turn down portion, the outer folding portion being of multiply fabric, the neck band portion being built up of single ply fabrics, said portion of multiply fabric having woven integral therewith a thin edge which is secured to the neck band portion between the single plies of the neck band portion.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

JOHN M. VAN HEUSEN. 

